Process of concentrating ores anhydrously.



Patented Aug. 7, |900.

S. M. LISSAU. PROCESS 0F CONCENTBATING [IRES ANHYDHDUSLY.

(Application led Apr. 13, 1898.)

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PROCESS 0F CUNCENTRATING DRES ANHYDBUUSLY.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL MARION LISSAU, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

PROCESS OF CONCENTRATiNG ORES ANHYDROUSLY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 655,494, dated August '7, 1900.

Application filed April 13, 1898. Serial No?. 677,422. (No specimens.)

To @ZZ whom zit may concern,.-

Be it known that I, SAMUEL MARION LissAU, of Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Process of Concentrating Orcs Anhydrously, whereof the following is a specification, ref-l erence being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention is addressed to the elimination of the bulk of worthless matter from comminuted material, such as sand or crushed ore, containing valuable metal. The simplest method hitherto devised for the purpose speciiied necessitates the use of a large volume of water as a vehicle to remove the lighter portion of the material treated, and the ordinary method is more complicated in that the action of the water is supplemented by the use of mercury in one form or another to retain the metallic particles by combination therewith. With the ordinary process of concentrating, employing water, as aforesaid, if the raw material to be treated be located in an arid district it must be transported to some locality where a supply of water may be had, and if the percentage of valuable metal does not warrant the expense of transportation of the accompanying large percentage of worthless material the mine cannot be worked at a profit.

My present invention provides a method whereby comminuted ore or sand containing valuable metal may be concentrated by the elimination of the bulk of its worthless particles at the mine without the use of any water Whatever. The advantages of my improvements are evident in their adaptation to mining in arid districts containing ores of such low grade as hitherto could not be mined profitably. By my invention ore containing, for instance, a very small percentage of iiour-gold may be concentrated at the mine at such slight expense as to permit the transportation of the concentrated product and the profitable recovery therefrom of the precious metal by subsequent reduction in a more favorable location.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is 'an end elevation of a typical form of apparatus adapted for the practice of my process. Fig. 2 `is a sectional view taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on Fig. 4: is a face view In said figures, A is a drum mounted for rotation upon the shaft B, fixed in the standard B. The drum A is conveniently arranged to be rotated by means of the sleeve A and bandwheel A2, which are in iixed relation therewith. Said sleeve A surrounds the free end of the shaft B and is suitably journaled therewith in the standard B2.

The drum Ais provided with aninlet for the material to be treated, conveniently located in its face a and normally closed by the door a. Within the drum A a fixed dischargechute C is so arranged that material dropped thereon gravitates through the spoked outlet A3 to the discharge-hopper C.

The inner periphery of the drum A is provided with pockets or buckets a2, which in accordance with the direction of rotation of the drum serve merely to agitate the mat-erial contained therein or to pocket certain portions thereof and deliver the same to the chute C.

The operation of my invention is as follows: The door d' is opened and a sufficient quantity ot raw material X is introduced to the drum A to fill the latter to approximately the level indicated by the dotted lines :c a: in Fig- 1. The door being closed, the drum A is then rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow upon Fig. 1, and in such rotation the buckets a? serve merely to stir the material X. The effect of the described rotation of the drum is to agitato the mass of material X and permit the heavier particles compris-v ing the valuable material Z to gravitate therethrough, while the lighter worthless material Y collects at the top of thevmass. After such preliminary rotation the drum A is rotated in the opposite direction, as indicated by the arrow upon Fig. 3, with the result that the buckets a2 successively encountering the tailings Y at the point y, as shown in Fig. 3,

pocket said worthless material and carry the,

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same through the mass beneath thevalnable concentrate Z and deliver said Worthless material upon the chute C.

The foregoing comprises the operation of my invention, whereby the raW material X, received Within the drum A, has the Worthless material separated from it and discharged through the chute C, outlet A3, and hopper C', so that the concentrated product Z is retained Within the drum A. Of course as the drum continues to rotate in the direction of the arrow upon Fig. 3 the tailings Y diminish in depth toward the concentrate Z; but no portion of the latter can at any time be discharged from the drum until the point y, at which the pockets ft2 are filled, coincides with the level of the concentrate. When the level of the concentrate is reached, as aforesaid, the concentrating operation of the apparatus is completed. It is obvious, however, that if v it is desired to also discharge the concentrate Z subsequent rotation of the drum A in the direction of the arrow upon Fig. 3 Will produce that result.

Although I find it convenient to use an apparatus of the type herein shown and described, I do not desire to limit myself to the employment of such a structure in carrying out my improved process, as it is obvious that .modifications may be made therein Without specific gravity thereof, retaining the concentrated product at the bottom of said mass, removing the lighter Waste material in a dry condition, from the upper strata of the agitated mass, through the latter and beneath the concentrated product, retained at the bottom thereof, and discharging said Waste material exterior to said mass, substantially as `set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have hereunto signed my name this 9th day of April, A. D. 1898.

SAMUEL MARION LISSAU.

In presence ot'- F. NORMAN DIXON, THos. K. LANCASTER. 

